


Fireflies

by needles



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Ereri Week, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-03
Updated: 2015-06-03
Packaged: 2018-04-02 18:02:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4069420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/needles/pseuds/needles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren has made a discovery and there's one special person he wants to share it with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fireflies

It was a far cry from the mad stampede that often ensued during a Titan hunt, but Eren didn't miss the excitement one iota. The Titans were gone and the world was out there for them to explore anew. He felt like one of the old adventurers in Armin's books, everything he saw filled him with a sense of wonder and awe. He hoped Levi felt the same.

He wiped his brow on his shirt sleeve, strolling along at a leisurely pace had given the late afternoon sun plenty of time to toast him. His back felt hot even in just a shirt, how Levi could endure it in his uniform jacket and with his cravat still neatly in place was a mystery. Maybe it was his Titan blood overheating him again. Still it would ease soon, the sun had almost dipped below the treeline and to the East the clouds were already becoming purplish shadows against the lingering blue sky. Soon they would give one last flush of gold as they reflected the burning sunset on the Western horizon before night finally fell.

He turned to his companion, he was pretty sure Levi had only tagged along with him to make sure he didn't do anything stupid and turn into a Titan again, even though it had been several months now, and with little to protect his comrades from he'd had no urge to bite his hand and invoke those abilities. But there was something he wanted Levi to see out here, something he and Armin had stumbled across a week before. His apparently aimless meandering had been anything but and they were almost at his goal.

"Armin and I found a good place to camp just near here, there's water so we can bathe, I could do with washing of this dust and sweat. Follow me."

Levi just nodded and turned his mount towards the trees, ambling behind Eren down a narrow track. A short way in the sound of water scampering over rocks filtered through the dimly lit forest. It grew louder as they followed the track until it opened into a clearing around a hollow. The stream poured over a low ledge and into a pool below them. The water sparkled in the last shafts of sunlight bathing the clearing.

Eren nudged his horse down the slight slope and dismounted, hooking the reins over a low branch. He turned to Levi, "Beautiful isn't it? There's plenty of grass for the horses and we can pitch our tents over there. If you want to get cleaned up I'll go gather some dry wood for a fire, I brought tea with me."

Levi arched a brow quizzically, "You had this all planned out didn't you? Though for the life of me I cannot figure out what that addled brain of yours is up to. Anyhow I feel gross so go ahead get your firewood, I'll take a bath, just don't get lost." 

"I won't," Eren assured him, heading off into the trees to where he remembered finding plenty of kindling the week before. Within half an hour he had gathered a good load of firewood and returned to the pond. Levi had pitched his tent already.

He piled up the wood and looked across the clearing, a dark head was just visible bobbing in the shallows in the last light of the afterglow. "I'm back Heichou. I'll set up my tent then get a fire going."

The tents were little more than simple bivouacs, light to carry and quick to pitch. Eren had done it so many times the lack of light was no handicap. Besides the moon was rising through the topmost leaves and soon would bathe the pool in its gentle glow. Tent up he cleared a patch of turf and began building his fire, coaxing the small spark with dry twigs and a handful of papery leaves until he had a steady flame. By the time he added the larger sticks and went to fill the kettle Levi was out of the water and rubbing himself dry. He pulled on his pants then dipped into his tent emerging with a fresh shirt.

"I'll watch that now, you go wash off that disgusting grime," he ordered, sitting down by the fire and checking the kettle. "Best be quick though, this won't take long."

Eren quickly stripped off his things and stepped into the water, giving a sharp hiss at the chill. Just as well it was a warm night, the water was icy. He plunged in until it was up to his chin, making the shock as brief as possible. As he acclimatised to it he felt a little warmer and took a few leisurely strokes up and down. After about ten minutes he emerged, grabbed the old towel he kept in his pack and rubbed himself briskly all over. He pulled on his boxers and pants again and then realised he'd forgotten to pack a spare shirt.  
"Dammit!" He shrugged back into his jacket shirtless and then took the dirty linen to the pond and gave it a quick scrub. If he hung it up hopefully it would dry enough by morning.

He dropped back down by the fire, glad of the extra warmth. Levi handed him a cup of steaming tea. "Here, this'll help." Eren would have sworn he was smirking but in the darkness he couldn't be sure. 

"So are you going to tell me why you dragged me out here?" Levi balanced his cup on the ground and pulled out a hunk of bread from his pack. He tore it in two and dropped half into Eren's lap. 

"Nope," Eren's teeth glinted in the moonlight as he grinned to himself.

"It had better be good or you will be scouring mouldy walls for months."

"It is." Eren tossed him an apple in return for the bread.

They sat, watching the flickering flames die back to a red glow and listening to the sounds of the forest at night, a veritable orchestra of chirrups, squeaks, rustles and grunts that Eren just hoped were made by something small enough to be intimidated by their presence.

Then he saw the first one, followed by a second brief flicker. He looked at the pale moonlit face beside him, Levi's eyes were fixated on the tiny twinkling lights as they multiplied over the pond. "What on earth?"

"Armin told me they are called Fireflies." Eren watched as the tiny lights danced an aerial ballet around the clearing.

"Fireflies? Are they burning or what?" Levi's arm instinctively flew up to protect his head as one curious insect flew a little too close to his hair.

"Nope. Apparently the light is some sort of chemical they make that glows, I didn't really understand it all though."

"Why would they glow? Surely it makes them easy prey?"

"He says they taste foul so nothing eats them. They glow to attract a mate he told me. They're beautiful but they don't live long, about two months the book said."

Levi watched them in silence, his face pensive. "Longer than some."

"Heichou?"

"Isabel would have liked them," Levi said quietly.

"Mikasa told me that in Japan there was a legend that fireflies were the souls of the dead, I like that thought," Eren murmured.

Levi's expression softened. "Eren."

"Yes?"

"I won't make you scrub mould."


End file.
